Cool roofs and Title 24, in plain English
A cool roof Los Angeles requires on most replacements, explained without the code language. What the rule is, whether it applies to your address, what it means for shingle, tile, metal and flat roofs, and why it changes your color choice more than your price.
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Tell us where the house is and we'll tell you which rule applies, then price a roof that meets it. We call you back within one business hour.
What a cool roof actually is
A cool roof is a roof surface that reflects more sunlight and sheds more heat than a standard one. It's measured two ways. Solar reflectance, how much of the sun bounces off, and thermal emittance, how readily the surface lets go of the heat it does absorb. The two are combined into a single number, the solar reflectance index, and a product either clears the bar the code sets or it doesn't.
The numbers come from the Cool Roof Rating Council, an independent body that tests products and publishes the results, and the code uses the aged rating, what the surface does after three years of Los Angeles dust and sun, not the shiny new one. Every shingle, tile, membrane, metal finish and coating we install has a rating on that list, which is the part nobody argues about at inspection.
Reflectance
How much sun bounces off
Emittance
How fast the heat leaves
SRI
Both, as one number
Rated by
The Cool Roof Rating Council
Aged rating
After three years, not new
Color
Not just white, not anymore
The two rules, and which one applies to your address
There's a state rule and a city rule, and which one you're under depends on where the house sits. This is the part that confuses most people, and fair enough, because nobody explains it.
Title 24, the California energy code
- Part 6 of Title 24 sets the Title 24 cool roof requirements for the whole state
- Whether it applies depends on the roof's slope and the climate zone the house is in. Most of Los Angeles sits in zones 6, 8 and 9
- It's strict on flat and low slope roofs, and lighter or absent on pitched residential roofs in the coastal zones
- It's updated every three years, and the current cycle came into force in January 2026
The Los Angeles cool roof ordinance
- The City of Los Angeles went further than the state in 2014 and requires a cool roof on nearly all new roofs and reroofs inside the city limits, pitched or flat
- Pitched roofs need a rated product that clears the residential bar. Flat roofs need a higher one
- It applies when you replace the roof, not when you patch it. Small repairs are exempt
- Inspection checks the product against the rating list, so the paperwork has to match the roof
What it means for the roof you actually want
Every roof type has a version that qualifies. The cool roof Los Angeles asks for changes your color list, and sometimes your product, not your material.
Shingle
Cool roof rated shingles use reflective granules and come in grays, browns and tans as well as light colors. Most of the colors you'd pick anyway have a rated version. It's the baseline we quote.
Tile
Rated clay and concrete tiles in terracotta, tan and lighter earth tones. A lift and relay that keeps your existing tile is a repair, not a new roof, so the rule usually doesn't reach it.
Metal
Most PVDF finishes are rated, including darker ones, because the pigments reflect infrared even when the color doesn't look light. The easiest system to comply with on a pitched roof.
Flat roofs
The strict end of the rule, and the easiest to meet. A white TPO or PVC membrane qualifies by default, torch down needs a rated cool cap sheet, and a rated white coating turns a sound old roof into a compliant one.
Emergency tarp going on
Leak stopped at the source
Storm damage before repair
Five things people get wrong about cool roofs
Most of the confusion we hear on the phone comes down to these.
It doesn't have to be white
Rated shingles come in browns and grays. Rated tile comes in terracotta. Rated metal comes in nearly everything. White is the easy answer on a flat roof nobody sees, and optional almost everywhere else.
It usually doesn't cost more
For shingle, tile and metal, the rated product is the same price as the unrated one, or close to it. On a flat roof, white is already the default. Energy efficient roofing is mostly a choice of product, not a premium.
It does make a difference upstairs
A rated surface runs cooler than a standard dark one on a summer afternoon, and the attic under it follows. The people who notice first are the ones sleeping under a flat roof in August.
The rating has to be the aged one, from the list
A product being "reflective" on the box means nothing at inspection. It needs a Cool Roof Rating Council listing with an aged value that clears the bar, and the permit paperwork has to name it.
Repairs and coatings are different from replacements
Patching a roof doesn't trigger the rule. Replacing it does. And a rated coating over a sound flat roof is one of the cheapest ways to meet it. Restoration and coatings
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The other rule, fire rating
A Class A fire rated roof is the highest rating, and it's a rating for the whole assembly, not just the top layer. Shingle, tile, metal and the flat systems all reach it when installed as a system over the right underlayment, which is how we install every one. Inside the city's fire zones it's required. Everywhere else it's the sensible spec.
Hillside and wildfire zones
Homes in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, the hillsides from Baldwin Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains, fall under Chapter 7A of the building code, which adds ember resistant vents, closed eaves and gutter guards to the Class A roof. Read the Chapter 7A roofing guide.
Cool and Class A at once
Every product on this page does both. A cool roof rated, Class A fire rated roof is not a special order in Los Angeles. It's what we install by default, and the estimate names the rating for each.
How compliance gets handled, so you never think about it
Four steps, and you only see the first one and the last.
We check your address
City of Los Angeles or not, fire zone or not, climate zone, roof slope. That tells us which rule applies before anyone picks a color.
We quote a rated product
Two or three options, every one on the rating list, in colors you'd actually choose. The estimate names the product and its rating.
We do the paperwork
The permit application names the product and its aged rating, the cool roof documentation the city asks for is filed, and the fire rating is on it too.
The inspector signs it off
The roof matches the paperwork, the inspection passes, and your permit closes clean. That last part matters when you sell the house.
Does a cool roof cost more?
The short answer is usually no. The longer one is below.
- Shingle, tile and metal. The rated version of the product you'd pick anyway costs the same or nearly the same. The rule narrows the color list a little and the price not at all.
- Flat roofs. White TPO and PVC are the default, so there's nothing to add. A cool cap sheet on torch down costs a little more than a black one.
- Coatings. A rated white coating over a sound flat roof is cheaper than any replacement and meets the rule on its own.
- What it saves. A cooler attic means less air conditioning in summer. How much depends on your insulation and your house, and we'd rather not put a number on it than put a wrong one.
- Rebates. Utilities have offered cool roof rebates in the past. We'll tell you what's available when you ask.
Every estimate is free, in writing, and names the product and its rating on each option. Read roof replacement cost in Los Angeles for the ranges by material.
Who this rule is really for
The city made it a rule. The cool roof contractors Los Angeles homeowners hire should want it anyway, because heat is what ages shingles, cap sheets and felt, and a cooler roof is a longer lasting roof. We'd install it without the rule.
Which rule your city is under
Our office is in Inglewood, which is its own city and follows the state code, ten minutes from the Los Angeles city line, where the city ordinance takes over. Culver City, Hawthorne, Gardena and Torrance are each their own city too. The cool roof Los Angeles homeowners need and the one an Inglewood homeowner needs can be different products, and we sort that out for every address we quote.
- Inglewood, our home base
- Culver City
- Gardena
Cool roof and Title 24 questions we get asked most
Do I have to install a cool roof in Los Angeles?
If the house is inside the City of Los Angeles and you're replacing the roof, yes, under the Los Angeles cool roof ordinance, pitched or flat. Outside the city, in Inglewood and the South Bay cities, the state's Title 24 applies, which is strict on flat roofs and lighter on pitched ones in the coastal climate zones. We check your address and tell you which.
What counts as a cool roof?
A roof surface with a Cool Roof Rating Council listing whose aged solar reflectance and thermal emittance, or its SRI, clear the bar the code sets for the roof's slope. The rating on the list is what the inspector checks, not the color.
Does a cool roof have to be white?
No. Rated shingles come in grays, browns and tans, rated tile in terracotta and earth tones, and rated metal in nearly any color, because the pigments reflect heat the eye can't see. White is the easy answer on a flat roof and optional almost everywhere else.
Does a cool roof cost more?
Usually not. The rated version of a shingle, tile or metal finish costs the same or close to it. White membranes are the default on flat roofs. A cool cap sheet on torch down costs a little more than black. The rule mostly changes your color list.
Does the rule apply to repairs?
No. Patching a roof, replacing a few tiles, or fixing a leak doesn't trigger it. Replacing the roof does. Where a large repair becomes a replacement is set by the city, and we'll tell you if a job is close to the line.
Does Title 24 apply in Inglewood?
Yes, the state code applies everywhere in California. The City of Los Angeles ordinance is what doesn't apply in Inglewood, because Inglewood is its own city. That's why the same roof can need a different product on one side of the line than the other.
What is a Class A fire rated roof?
The highest fire rating a roof assembly can have, tested as a system, roofing and underlayment together. It's required in the fire zones, it's the sensible spec everywhere else, and every roof we install meets it. Homes in the hillside fire zones have extra rules under Chapter 7A.
Are there rebates for a cool roof?
Utilities in Los Angeles have offered cool roof rebates at various times. Ask us when you get your estimate and we'll tell you what's open.
A roof that meets the rule, in a color you'd have picked anyway
Get a free estimate. We check which rule your address is under, quote rated products in real colors, and handle the paperwork so the inspection is the easy part.